Question: Given the equation: $ y = -2x^2 - 12x - 20$ Find the parabola's vertex.
Answer: When the equation is rewritten in vertex form like this, the vertex is the point $({h}, {k})$ $ y = A(x - {h})^2 + {k} $ We can rewrite the equation in vertex form by completing the square. First, move the constant term to the left side of the equation: $ \begin{eqnarray} y &=& -2x^2 - 12x - 20 \\ \\ y + 20 &=& -2x^2 - 12x \end{eqnarray} $ Next, we can factor out a $-2$ from the right side: $ y + 20 = -2(x^2 + 6x) $ We can complete the square by taking half of the coefficient of our $x$ term, squaring it, and adding it to both sides of the equation. The coefficient of our $x$ term is $6$ , so half of it would be $3$ , and squaring that gives us ${9}$ . Because we're adding the $9$ inside the parentheses on the right where it's being multiplied by $-2$ , we need to add ${-18}$ to the left side to make sure we're adding the same thing to both sides. $ \begin{eqnarray} y + 20 &=& -2(x^2 + 6x) \\ \\ y + 20 + {-18} &=& -2(x^2 + 6x + {9}) \\ \\ y + 2 &=& -2(x^2 + 6x + 9) \end{eqnarray} $ Now we can rewrite the expression in parentheses as a squared term: $ y + 2 = -2(x + 3)^2 $ Move the constant term to the right side of the equation. Now the equation is in vertex form: $ y = -2(x + 3)^2 - 2 $ Now that the equation is written in vertex form, the vertex is the point $({h}, {k})$ $ y = A(x - {h})^2 + {k} $ $ y = -2(x - {(-3)})^2 + {(-2)} $ The vertex is $({-3}, {-2})$. Be sure to pay attention to the signs when interpreting an equation in vertex form.